Enea Bastianini was faced with a complicated choice. Finally, the 2020 Moto2 world champion chose to join KTM Tech3 for 2025, after being replaced by Marc Marquez within the official Borgo Panigale team. Is it a good choice for him, or rather a mistake to move away from Ducati? Is Tech3 doing another great business? Let’s analyze this unexpected signature together.
Fallen
Enea Bastianini seemed to have a bright future. After suffering a 2023 season marked by injuries, he was never able to share his talent with the MotoGP planet under the awning of the most desired team. It’s a shame, because at the time of his promotion in 2022, he was one of the leaders of the championship. Even if there is still a good part of the 2024 financial year to go, we can easily see the difference in progress between him and Pecco Bagnaia over the same period.
He still lacks velocity, that little extra that can bring him to the level of Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez for example..
Enea is less good than his above-mentioned colleagues at the time, I can see that. But I didn’t expect him to leave the Ducati fold for good, which, in my opinion, is making a big mistake in letting him go. Like with Maverick Vinaleswe do not know the ins and outs of this significant decision. But I don’t believe for a second that he wasn’t interested in Pramac Ducati for examplewho finds himself without much resources after losing Jorge Martin.
He was the author of a very good race in Italy. Great efforts, but too late. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
I have the impression, from afar, that this distance from Ducati is voluntary, as if to start a new chapter. Obviously, he risks finding the service difficult. The KTM RC16 is less efficient than it was last year. Tech3 is a great team, sure, but being employed by the French is like becoming a satellite pilot, with all that that entails.. Overcoming the difference in importance with its current status is an additional challenge that will have to be met.
On paper, the association seems a little improbable to me. Not uninteresting, but unexpected, at the very least. I find it hard to say if I’m happy for him because I think it will be difficult for him to frequently repeat the entry podiums at Tech3. After all, he only knew the Desmosedici in MotoGP and it is rare, except in exceptional cases,
that a pilot arrives on a new machine and immediately establishes himself as a leader.
Tech3 completes a fire stable
In this case, the big winner is Tech3. In addition to getting Maverick Vinales, Hervé Poncharal’s team managed to attract another driver with a somewhat similar profile, but stronger. It’s a success on all levels. Bastianini and Vinales are a much better duo than Augusto Fernandez/Pedro Acosta, and undoubtedly constitute, for Tech3, the strongest theoretical association since the Bradley Smith/Pol Espargaro pair in 2014.
He is still well placed in the Ducati hierarchy. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
I am convinced that “Bestia’s” career will be largely determined by this experience. Tech3 is a great team, of course, but I doubt the Italian wants to stop there without ever satisfying his desire for a world championship., which will be difficult to obtain on the (semi) private KTM. He must bounce back, rebuild his name, reintegrate himself into this small elite group in which he was firmly established at the end of 2022. The experience of Hervé Poncharal can perfectly meet this challenge. If the bike is good,
we can expect the best, perhaps not quite at the level of Maverick Vinales in the early days as the latter showed that he was able to find speed on different machines; but later in the season.
I think he is much better than the Spaniard, that goes without saying after studying the last exercises in MotoGP. Bastianini is a killer, with an exceptional sense of achievement. KTM, through Tech3, has got its hands on a non-conformist monster that just wants to get going again. It was one of the best choices on the market, so how can we not congratulate the Austrian management who is arriving, due to its attractiveness reinforced by the prowess of Pedro Acostato sign this kind of pilot.
KTM will have a Binder/Acosta/Vinales/Bastianini quartet, one of the best combinations of recent decades. All that will be missing is an RC16 worthy of the event;
forbidden to waste this opportunity which might not last over time.
What did you think of this signature? Tell us in the comments!
As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.
The level of Pedro Acosta shows that it is possible to fight up front with Tech3, something we had seen more with KTM since 2020 and Miguel Oliveira. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
